I'm usually fully in sync with you in 99/100 of your posts, but not this time.

Social good shouldn't be a "charity add-on." If it is I'd consider it "good-washing," the equivalent of greenwashing, only with charitable causes instead of environmental ones.

Personally, I'll work with a company doing social good over one that isn't every time. And yes, I'll pay a premium.

Recent studies have shown the majority of consumers feel the same way. In fact, even in the current financial crisis, over 50% of consumers still want and expect the companies they are working with to continue their social good initiatives.

It doesn't have to be just the largest corporations. My company, Outsource Marketing, is a small business.

Along with buying carbon offsets, making monthly Kiva investments and donating employee time to local charities, we will give 5% to Doctors Without Borders next year.

Outsource Marketing has thin margins and you're right, 5% of our profit won't be a check big enough to bail out GM.

But it will be thousands of dollars, and as a team, we're rallying around the idea that the more profitable we are, the more we can donate. If we do well, we may very well exceed the 5%.

So I guess you could say we're big supporters of investing a percentage of profits — especially if the people doing the investing have their heart in it.

Keep up the great work. I'm sure I'll be in full agreement with you on you next 99 posts!

Happy marketing,

Patrick Byers
Outsource Marketing
http://outsourcemarketing.com

The Responsible Marketing Blog
http://responsiblemarketing.com